New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern cancels her own wedding as she imposes tough Omicron restrictions

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been forced to cancel her wedding as the spread of the Omicron variant means the country has moved to red alert.

Tougher restrictions come into force on Sunday evening across the country after a cluster of nine Omicron cases indicated Covid-19 had spread from the North to the South Island after a wedding.

After the restrictions were announced, Ms Ardern said: “My wedding will not be going ahead.”

She is understood to have been due to marry her long-term partner and fishing show host Clarke Gayford next weekend at Gisborne on the east coast of the North Island.

The couple have one daughter Neve, born in 2018, the year after Ms Ardern took office as prime minister.

The premier was pragmatic about the cancellation, adding: “Such is life.

“I am no different to, dare I say it, thousands of other New Zealanders who have had much more devastating impacts felt by the pandemic, the most gutting of which is the inability to be with a loved one sometimes when they are gravely ill.

“That will far, far outstrip any sadness I experience.”

New Zealand has moved to a red setting under its Covid-19 protection framework which means mask-wearing in shops and on public transport and indoor hospitality settings such as bars and restaurants.

Events like weddings will be capped at 100 people, lowered to 25 people if the venue is not using vaccine passes.

New Zealand closed its borders to foreigners in March 2020 to contain the spread of coronavirus, and has since maintained one of the world’s most restrictive policies for travellers.

Currently, people are only able to travel to New Zealand under narrow exceptions and must apply to stay at state-managed quarantine facilities.

Last week the government stopped issuing any new slots amid a surge in the number of people arriving with Omicron.

Since the start of the pandemic, the country has recorded just 15,026 cases and 52 deaths.

Government plans for a phased reopening from mid-January have been pushed back to the end of February amid concerns about a potential Omicron outbreak as in neighbouring Australia.

About 94 per cent of New Zealand’s population over the age of 12 is fully vaccinated and about 56 per cent of those eligible have had booster shots.